The art of deception
by destinys-wisdom
Summary: Bellas being hunted, and she's runing out of options. When she shows up in forks and befriends the Cullens only human campanion, Luke, there's bound to be trouble. Or more. Rated T because i don't know how violent this story's going to be.
1. Prologue

Prologue

No. No, this could not be happening. Not here, not now. Not again. Someone screamed, and I felt the heat of a fire as I threw open the door, trying to run before I even knew what I was running from. No, that's not true. I knew what I was running from. I always had. I was running from _them_. From the Hunters, from the government, from the guard. I was running from it all. A flickering light caught my eye, and I slipped back into darkness just fast enough to hide myself from the long, flickering shadows of 3 Hunters. They were yelling at each other, no doubt blaming someone else for losing what they'd come all this way to get: me. They didn't seem to know I was still well within their reach, and although I was glad, I didn't have a choice but to step out of my hiding place, revealing myself to them; at least if I wanted to get out of here alive. I have one last chance though, one last place to go. I just prey my brother will take me in, after everything that's happened. I prey I will live long enough to give him the chance to take me in, to see me again. I prey he won't hate me, I prey he'll forgive me. I prey he won't get hurt for doing so, and I prey Demetri won't find me there. Or James, or Laurent, or Victoria, or Phil. And I prey, above all, that they won't find each other, and band up in the world-wide hunt for Isabella Swan, the girl made to destroy.

This is it. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the thick black smoke surrounding the beautiful flame, its delicate tongue licking the old, run-down apparent building I spent so many nights in, and stepped forward, finally revealing my slight frame to the three deadly creatures scattered in front of me, knowing I must look like the innocent 17 year old I wished to be. But that's the thing, you see. That's not me. I'm not the innocent little girl curled up in the corner of the room, a well-worded novel open in my lap as I make a wish to one day take the place of the character, to live the action-packed fantasies of an author's imagination. No, that's not me. I already have a life of fantasy and adventure. And I hate it. I'm Isabella Marie Swan, and this is my complicated mess of a life; or, to put it simply, the art of deception.

_3 days later _

LPOV

"YES!!! Oh, take that Emmett!!" I pounded my fist in the air, smiling like mad as I turned to Emmett, the big bear of a man pouting like a five year old as I, yet again, kicked his ass at the new x-box game he had come over to test out. He could be such a kid some times. "Rematch!!!" he all but demanded, his eyebrows knotting together in frustration. It was a comical sight, and I couldn't help but laugh as the scariest thing in Forks High School attempted _puppy dog eyes_. "You cheated! I want a rematch!" he repeated, and I was saved from answering by a soft knock on the front door. "Sorry Em, maybe later." My smile widened at his answering pout. "Who is it?" I called, getting up off the floor in front of the wide-screen TV and heading to the front door, curious as I brushed a stray lock of dirty-blond hair out my face. I wasn't expecting anyone, and was pretty much a loner in this small town, my only friends the Cullens. I preferred it that way, though, and besides, even Rosalie was preferable to Lauren, the queen bitch of a crappy high school and the one person who made me think my strong build, soft brown eyes and mattered hair were a bad thing.

No one answered my call. I frowned, trying again, but was met with nothing but an urgent knock. "Who is it?" Em called up at me from his new seat on the living room couch, turning his head to take in my frown. "I don't know." I answered honestly, puzzled as I threw open the door. A soft gasp escaped my lips as the figure in the doorframe fell into me, injured and crying. Oh god, what happened to her? "Shh, relax. You're safe now." I whispered tenderly in her ear, pulling her outside ever so gently so Emmett couldn't see her slight form. Em must have heard my words of comfort, for he got up, making his way over to me. "Luke, who is it?" He asked again, but I just shook my head, turning my back on him to hide the figure in my arms. "I think it's time you went home, Emmett." I said in a rough voice, not caring if I was being rude. He looked up at me, shocked, but nodded anyway, turning towards the door. "No." I interfered quickly, not wanting him to see my guest. "Out the back." I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my neck, but heard him turn anyway, making his way out the back door as slowly as his big feet would let him. As soon as I heard the back door slam, I threw open the door once more, pulling the figure inside as quickly as possible and slinging them up into my arms, still whispering words of comfort as I took in her battered body. Again. You'd think after seeing her so close to death so many times, it would get easier. But it doesn't. It never does. Tenderly, I laid her down on the king-sized bed that took up most of my room, running a hand down her body until a thick, warm liquid ran into my hand. Pulling up the bottom of her shirt as gently as I could, I carefully inspected the wound. It was half-way heeled already, but still pretty gory. It looked as if someone had hit her, waited until it had healed, and then done it again, creating a sensitive spot caked in dried blood and ripped skin. Well, it wasn't as bad as last time. Taking a deep breath, I ducked into the kitchen, taking out a first aid kit I kept for such occasions, and headed back to the bedroom. It was going to be a long night.

EmPOV

"Who is it?" I called up to Luke, honestly curious. He didn't really have any friends besides us, and the others were at home. "I don't know." He called back, hand on the door handle and sounding just as puzzled as I felt. I watched curiously as he threw open the door, gasping quietly as something fell into him; or rather, someone. Listening to his gentle voice and worried words, I grew cautious. This was not right. I smelled blood- lots of blood. So why wasn't my throat burning? This was wrong. "Luke, who is it?" I repeated, a little firmer. "I think it's time you went home Emmett."What? This was not like Luke. I headed towards the door. "No." His words stopped me. "Out the back."

APOV

Emmett's huge frame came tumbling through the doorway exactly 10 seconds after I had announced it to happen, a frown on his face and confusion evident in his golden eyes. Edward walked in to the lounge, taking a seat beside me on the soft leather couch as he took in what was happening from my most recent vision, a frown flooding his features as he no doubt read Emmett's mind on the day's events.

My vision for school tomorrow was filled with 5 tense vampires, anxious for some unknown reason, and disappeared as soon as we sat down at our lunch table, the doors opening and the entire vision turning black. The same thing had happened about a minute ago, when a vision of Emmett losing yet another x-box game to the only human we could hang around with, Luke, (his scent was different for some reason, and no where near as tempting) spiraled into darkness. To say I was worried would be an understatement. So here I was, waiting for Emmett to come tumbling through the door and calling Edward to see if we could put to and to together.

"What happened at Luke's?" My usually chirpy voice was anxious and strained. My visions had never failed me before, and now two of them had just…disappeared. His gaze swept the room, and he hesitated before answering, stressed. "We have a problem."


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. Sorry about the spelling mistakes, I do edit! If you don't like it, tell me what's wrong! Enjoy. **

EPOV

The cafeteria doors swung open, and all thoughts shifted to the two people in the door. Usually, I wouldn't have cared if a new student arrived in this dreary place. They were nothing more than a distraction, a shiny new toy. But this was different. This student was something else. They weren't _human_- They couldn't be. Their scent was sweet, amazingly sweet- just as Emmett had remembered it- but it wasn't tempting. It didn't smell _edible._ It was a rose garden sweet, not the usual warm meal sweet. And that wasn't all. I couldn't here their thoughts; not even a whisper. Alice couldn't see their future; I recognized this scene as the one from her vision, the very moment it turned black. Jasper_ could_ sense their emotions, but the space in the doorway held too many with too much strength to belong to a human: Nervousness, anxiety, and fear. So much fear. I briefly wondered what there was to be scared of, but brushed it off as 'new-kid nerves'. The entire student body's mindless staring was kind of hard to miss. And what's more, that stranger, that creature, that _thing_, was with Luke. And he was leading it over to our table.

Ah, hell.

"Luke, please. Do I have to do this? Can't I just go sit with Mike or something?" an anxious voice sounded behind me, its smooth sound ringing slightly in my ears. My back was still turned to the doorway, but it was obvious who was speaking. The new kid, who I now knew to be a girl. Look's like were not the only ones hesitant to meet the other.

"Sorry, Bells, but you're just going to have to live with it. They're my friends and I really want you to meet them." Luke's answer was followed by a set of quiet footsteps, heading towards us. The thing was called Bells.

"Gee's, I've forgotten how annoying you are." She sounded honestly shocked. I almost laughed out load at her blunt response, but stopped short as they reached our table, Luke practically dragging 'Bells' out from behind him. "Guys, this is Bella." His voice was almost stubborn. Curious, I looked up, just in time to see him drop an arm onto the back of my chair, baring the girls' way as she took a small step towards the door.

Against my better judgment, my eyes raked over her figure as a small gasp escaped my lips. She was beautiful- almost inhumanly so. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in slight curls, falling over her shoulders in a way I was sure was meant to hide her face. Her pale skin was almost as white as ours; if it weren't for her beating heart and sweet scent, she could have passed for a vampire.

I dragged my gaze to her face in time to see her eyes turn pleading, just as Luke's hardened. Jasper tensed as her fear spiked. I was beyond curious now, but it seemed she either didn't notice or didn't care as she turned back to us, shifting her weight from foot to foot in a nervous gesture.

Glancing around the table, her eyes rested on Alice. "You must be Alice." She half-whispered, smiling nervously. I gathered form the jealous human thoughts surrounding me no one had had the chance to dish the dirt on the Cullen clan, and informed the rest of the family the same thing in a hushed tone beyond the detection of human ears. Had Luke shown her a picture of us? I tried to check, but could only catch bits and pieces, and all along the lines of 'I can't let her out of my sight today' or 'I'm going to have to find a lift home for her to.' Another thing that set Luke apart from humans was how our 'gifts' worked on him. I could read his mind, but not every thought. Sometimes I'd miss bits, as would Alice and, on occasion, Jasper. We've had many debates as to what Luke is, and every time we come to the same conclusion; no matter what he is, he _thinks_ he's human, and that's all that matters. Her, on the other hand…

Her eyes rested on the next vampire, a strained smile on her face as she moved around the table. "Jasper. Rose, Emmett," She paused, glancing down "And Edward." My head shot up on instinct at the sound of my name, my eyes meeting hers. The air was sucked out of my mouth in a quit gasp as I watched the brown of her eyes swirl, like smoke trapped in a glass ball, so deep they appeared endless. _That was not natural._

"Can I go now?" Her whining snapped me out of my trance as she turned to Luke, who still had his arm draped over the back of my chair. "Sorry Bells, but I want to keep an eye on you today. You're staying." He was still as stubborn as ever, but this was for a different reason. Usually the only time he wouldn't budge on something was with Emmett's games, or Alice's shopping trips. This time he was actually _worried_.

_Well that's just great. Luke's already attached to that _thing_, and they've only known each other for 2 minutes!!_

Rose's thoughts cut through my own, laced with venom at the sight of Luke's strong arm wrapping itself around Bella's waist, pulling her closer to him as she buried her face in his shoulder. The first time Alice had dragged him to our lunch table, Rose had glared at him for the entire hour. It was a month before she spoke to him and another 3 before she'd warmed up enough to call him a friend. She never thought the idea to involve ourselves with a human was a good one, and it'd take a lot more than 4 months for her to call Bella anything other than a threat.

Bella? I was calling her by her name now?

Luke pulled out two chairs, in between Emmett and Alice. Jasper, paranoid as ever, pulled Alice onto his lap and onto his seat, switching places with her and putting himself between her and Bella. He flinched as she tensed, but Luke's strong arm wrapped around her shoulders seemed to calm her down.

"Her car broke down in front of my house yesterday," Emmett snorted quietly at Luke's poor excuse, remembering the smell of blood and Luke's sudden rush to kick him out of the house. "So she stayed with me last night." Not good. Not good at all. "No ones ever used the spare room and she was looking for a place to rent anyway, so…" He trailed off. Oh no. Every one of us could see she wasn't human. She could be a threat. She_ was_ a threat. And every one of us could see that she was using Luke, tricking him into helping her. And no one would stand for it. "We've got a spare room." The first thing out of my mouth since the conservation started, Bella's shocked eyes met mine. Luke looked just as shocked, knowing our anti-social history. Jasper, however, caught on, pushing Luke's emotions ever so slightly to agree with me. "She could stay with us." If she was a threat, she was better off in our hands than Luke's, but he just shook his head, cautious. "I'm not letting her out of my sight for a while." What's that supposed to mean? Noticing my raised eyebrow and Emmett's puzzled look, he mumbled out a very self explanatory "Blame Mike."

"We should probably get to class." Alice chirped, trying her hardest to hide both her concern and her frustration. Everyone stood, not questioning Alice, Jasper even offering to show Bella to her next class. She flinched away from him. Emmett tried to hurry Luke in the opposite direction, but he never budged, opting instead to push Bella back into her seat, shooing the family to class and turning to me. "Could I have a word?"

Luke and I were very close, being the only single ones in the group. When everyone else was off doing 'couple things' we would hang out together, so no one was surprised to see him call on me. I nodded mutely, watching the rest of the cafeteria empty out at the sound of the bell. Only Bella remained, the rest of my family giving me cautious glances before slipping through the double doors that led to the rest of this under-funded school. "Luke, really, can't I j-" Bella started desperately, standing again. "No, Bella." His tone left no room for argument, and she let slip a nervous sigh before settling back into her chair. "Edward, I know you have biology next." His voice dropped to a whisper as he led me away from the table and out of earshot.

Oh no, don't make me protect that _thing_ from Mike, don't. I met his eyes, for the first time noticing the pain burning through them, so strong it threatened to overflow. How did I miss that before? "I need you to keep an eye on Bella." _Not a chance in hell. _His eyes continued to burn. "Luke," Oh god, he looks so worried. "I…" _don't want to babysit a supernatural being that could quite possible be the cause of your oncoming doom._

"Yeah, sure." I sighed, watching Luke smile. "I'll watch her." And that, ladies and gentlemen is how I ended up in this mess.

**I know it's short, I'm sorry. Any ideas for the storyline, tell me. I'm kind of experimenting with this, so I don't know quite where it's going…**

**Thanks**


	3. Chapter 2

She never met my eyes. Through all of Biology, her gaze remained locked on the table in front of her, her small hands balled up in fists on the table. Even when Mike came up to talk to her, she remained silent. She didn't even look up. The only evidence she heard him at all was the protective hunching of her shoulders. As slight as the movement was, it was clear she was terrified. I gave Mike a stone cold glare, unwilling to help her but bound by my promise to Luke. He returned to his seat without comment, eyes downcast. I tried my best to ignore her from then on, but her strange behaviour and mysterious arrival had me curious. I spent the rest of Biology staring at her, some part of me hoping that if I tried hard enough her thoughts would reveal themselves' to me. All the while, countless questions spun through my mind. What was she hiding? I made a silent vow to find out.

I kept my promise to Luke. By the end of the day I knew who she sat next to in every class, had kept track of her through the dreary thoughts of her fellow students. She relaxed a bit around humans but still seemed weary, her fists clenching and unclenching anxiously in every class. In history, her one class with Jasper, wave after wave of pure fear seemed to pulsate through her. When Jaspers death grip on his desk snapped it in two, only Bella glanced up, and in an instant her emotions disappeared. Her eyes dropped back to the desk without so much as surprise at the chipped wood in his hands, and Jasper was left gaping at the back of her head. He had already identified her as a potential worry, but now his thoughts shifted to darker things. There was no doubt now she was a threat and a wondered for a moment if Jasper might kill her. If there was even a chance she might hurt Alice... _We need to get her alone._

I pulled myself out of Jaspers head, again pondering ways I could discover her intentions. If she didn't already know what we were, she was at least aware that we were not human. That alone justified her death. Yet, I was curious. If she really was a threat, why did she seem so terrified?

The rest of the day passed in very much the same way. Kids stared and whispered. She ignored them. Emmet stood between her and Rosalie during gym. She stayed as far away from him as possible. Mike trailed her around between classes, which was actually an improvement from his earlier conversational attempts. I guessed he was intimidated enough by me not to take his chances, but she seemed to know when he was around and tensed up every time he came within a couple of meters. She never said a word to anyone but Luke.

When Luke checked in with me at the end of the day to make sure Bella had been 'properly looked after' I didn't know what to tell him. Mistaking my hesitation for worry, a panicked look flashed in his eyes. Why did he care so much?

"What happened?" He demanded. He was such an easygoing person the sharp words shocked a response from me. "She's fine." Immediately, his shoulders drooped in relief.

_I hope he liked her. She could use a friend. _His thoughts came across loud and clear. Urg.

"She's very...quiet." I provided, unable to think of a nice way to say she was an evil little _thing _that I wanted to lock in a big metal box and toss into the middle of the ocean. Not a bad idea, actually. He nodded in response, hiding a wary smirk. "You could say that."

"How'd you say you met her again?" Jaspers southern drawl sounded behind us, his weary eyes trained on something over my shoulder. My gaze followed his and found Bella, head down and shoulders hunched, under the cover of the office building. It had just started to rain, and she seemed to flinch in time with the raindrops as they hit the ground next to her. With each slight movement her fists clenched tighter on the bundle of books in her arms, until she was hugging them to her chest so tightly that it was a wonder they didn't snap in two.

"Her, um, car broke down. Remember?" Luke supplied helpfully, sounding only slightly unsure of his lie. Emmett had said he hadn't seen or heard a car the day Bella had shown up. Fear seemed to be the only thing she had brought with her.

He hadn't noticed Bella yet, so Jasper and I were the only ones who were watching when Mike walked up behind her. Startled, she jumped, her books spilling onto the concrete. He didn't seem to notice her reaction. "Hi Isabella." He said cheerfully, taking another step forward as she spun to face him. Isabella. I should have guessed her name was short for something. In Isabella's shock, her eyes met his and Mike froze where he stood. Bella's eyes widened and she took a small step backwards. She continued to back away from him until she was almost a meter away from where her books remained scattered on the ground. Mike didn't move. He didn't even blink.

"What the hell?" I didn't realise I'd spoken out loud until Luke spun around to see what had captured my usually elusive attention. Looking around, he finally noticed the scene before me and one thought slipped through to me before he took off running. _Bella. _

More out of concern for Luke than anything else, Jasper and I followed. Having to run at a human pace meant Luke reached her first, and a light brush of his hand against her arm seemed to snap them both out of whatever trance they'd been in. Mikes head snapped up suddenly, and Luke automatically stepped in front of Bella. Did she have him in some kind of trance? Is that why Luke was so defensive of her?

Mike, as confused as he was, attempted another step towards Bella. To my surprise, it was Jasper that stopped him. "She's got to go." His words were sharp and final, but had a calming edge to them that I suspected he'd backed up with a little push of emotions. Only Jasper could manage to seem so terrifying and so gentle at the same time. I shot him a questioning look as I came to stop behind Bella, blocking off her exit. Seeing me, she immediately tensed and dropped her eyes.

_She's more of a danger to him_ _than she is to us. We can't have her attracting attention, either. What if people start asking questions?_ True. Jasper was always thinking ahead.

Mike, obviously confused by all the foreign emotions Jasper was bombarding him with as much as he was about the Cullen's making any sort of social contact with anyone other than Luke, stumbled off. Luke watched him go with hard eyes, a defensive instinct reflected in them so strongly it was a wonder he didn't run after him. I had to know what she did to him. In an attempt to get a better look at Bella's eyes, I knelt down to pick up her scattered books, still very much in her way. Either realising what I was trying to do or just out of pure instinct, she knelt down beside me, trembling hands collecting the rest of the things she had dropped. Damn it.

Luke pulled her up to standing before she could pick up everything and his strong arm snaked around her waist. Her trembling calmed and, finally, she glanced up. The full force of her eyes hit me in the same way they had earlier. Deep, swirling orbs of brown, spiralling around and around like smoke trapped in a glass bottle. The same thought hit me as before. _That is not natural. _

Luke's gripped tightened ever so slightly, and Bella managed a weak smile. "Thanks." She muttered, her eyes glancing to Jasper and then back to me. I wasn't sure who it was directed at. Not that it mattered. Still trapped in her endless eyes, I couldn't respond. All I could do was watch helplessly as she left, climbing into the passenger seat of Luke's old, beat up pick up and drive away. The easily spooked creature of unknown power who knew we weren't human, and who may or may not want us dead, staying with the one human friend and therefore easiest target we had.

We had to find out what she knew. Tonight.


	4. Chapter 3

EPOV

It was 4am, and every light in the house was still on.

Luke sat on the couch with his laptop open, stress and worry etched all over his face. What must have been his 5th cup of coffee sat beside him, the chipped mug no longer steaming. Bella was scouring through the bookshelf, no doubt fascinated with Luke's unique collection. It had always amused me to see the rows and rows of myths and legends that seemed to have accumulated in his living room, most of them widely off the mark. Scattered among them were detailed accounts of every god and goddess that was ever thought to have existed, as well as an intricate history of ancient Greece. These were the books she seemed to be focused on, and I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding when she skimmed over _Vampires: Coming out of the coffin._

It had been hours since either of them had walked out of the room, which kind of interfered with my new plan; to get Bella alone, and make her tell me what she was and what she knew. It had been decided earlier that I couldn't kill her. If she really was a danger to our family, that decision was left with Carlisle.

Not the best plan, I'll admit, especially since I still didn't know if her creepy eye thing meant she could put me in some kind of trance before I could press the cold steel of a knife against her neck. Or if a knife would even hurt her. She was too close to Luke for me to care.

Luke slammed the laptop shut, his usually gentle features screwed up in frustration. Bella sighed, giving him a once over, and bowed her head. She nodded to herself, resigned, and gathered up a few of the books. _Finally,_ I thought, tracking her every movement as she headed to Luke's spare room. Luke watched her go, a glum look on his face, and I wondered again what she'd done to him. He was never this sad. I wanted to strangle her for it.

_You may as well. You're about to threaten her anyway. _

Slowly, quietly, I moved through the forest I was sheltered in, edging closer to the house and Bella's bedroom window.

She stood in the doorway, a pile of books stacked in one arm and one open in the other. From where I stood in the darkness I could vaguely make out some of the titles. Most were basic Greek mythology, stories of the Titans and Mount Olympus, but the one she held open seemed different. Its cover was thick, the pages yellowed, and the few words I could make out from where I stood were not in English. I had seen it before, that book, tucked in the very bottom corner of Luke's vast collection. Thin strips of gold inlaid in the spine made a pattern of wreaths, a stark contrast to the crimson red of the cover, and the very top corner was stamped with what looked like an old Greek war helmet. There was no title.

I took another step forward in an attempt to get a better view and in my haste a fallen branch snapped beneath my foot. Bella froze suddenly, her head snapping up and her eyes sweeping what little of the forest she could see through her bedroom window. The window I now stood in full view of. I was still 30 or so metres from the house, surrounded in forest, and through the thick coverage of trees, our eyes met. I froze.

With movements too fast to be human, she threw down her books, scattering them on her bed; all except one. The old, gold-inlaid one she still held, furiously flicking through pages in search of something. Whatever it was she was looking for, it didn't take her long to find it. In a second she was on her knees beside her bed, dragging out a small leather case I had somehow missed earlier. With a flick of her wrist, the case fell open, and she held up a glinting silver dagger.

Seeing the weapon snapped me out of whatever spell I'd been under, and I took off running towards her. Luke was still just outside her room.

In the couple of seconds in took me to reach her bedroom window she had scratched out three...symbols of sorts, with the dagger. The first was big, but simple, two lines carved into the back of the door. The second was rounded, more complex, and lines criss-crossed and overlapped at various points, in the middle of the wall opposite her bed. The third sat directly opposite that one, and was carved into the bed-head rather than the wall. She had just lifted the dagger from the wood when I finally dragged the window open and charged inside. She spun to face me, dagger still in hand.

_Ha_, I thought, smug. _Like a dagger could hurt me._

Ignoring the blade, I turned my full attention on her. Brown smoke swirled before me, moving faster and faster until it all spun together. Flecks of amber sparked in the brown, and I feared for a moment that I was trapped in a storm. _Idiot! Don't look at her eyes._

It wasn't that easy, though. Her gaze held power. It was like those orbs of swirling smoke were peace itself, and the more I tried to convince myself I needed to escape it, the more I felt myself being pulled in. _I am a monster, _I reminded myself sternly_. I have killed. I don't deserve peace. I never will. _Suddenly, my consciousness shifted. I was suddenly aware of Bella backing away, trying to search for that book without breaking eye contact with me. I realised she must have dropped it when I rushed in. I still stood frozen to the spot, still found myself unable to tear my eyes from hers, but my mind felt clearer. I was close, then. I could do this. I just needed something else, to push me the last little bit. _Think, Edward, think._

_**Knock, Knock, Knock.**_

Bella froze. "Bells, are you alright?" That voice. I knew that voice. "I heard something." Where did I know that voice? "Just tripped." Bella answered, her gaze still steady. She picked up the book. Still holding the dagger, she edged back towards me, towards the only wall left unmarked. "Go back to bed, Luke."

_Luke._

It took every ounce of will power I had to tear my gaze from hers. 

I lunged for Bella. It must have shocked her, for she was slow to react. She moved to dodge my attack a second too late. I knocked the book out of her hand and sent her into the wall in one smooth movement. She twisted, tried to dodge again, and I responded accordingly, slamming her back into the wall and pinning her there. Changing tactics, she tried to move to face me. This time though, I saw it coming. Placing my elbow by her neck, I straightened my forearm, pressing her cheek against the wall and forcing her to face away from me.

She gasped, trying again to break free of my grip, and I moved closer, trapping her under my weight. She could still move her arm, and she took full advantage of it. I saw the knife coming a second before she plunged in towards my neck. I only just managed to block the blow, and I had to throw her weight sideways to do it. As I moved one hand to trap her wrist against the wall, her hand somehow still grasped around the knifes handle, her scent hit me. I froze.

I could feel her pulse in her wrist, hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. I could smell her blood, no longer the innocent scent of fresh strawberries. Now it was a warm, inviting, rich scent, like a fine wine that had only just been opened. My mouth was only inches from her throat.

She froze. It was some small part of my mind that registered it, my focus almost entirely absorbed my that scent. I could feel her start to shake and knew her breath was becoming unsteady. She was scared. She was terrified. Some curious, more rational part of me wondered if she knew what was coming.

A single, fat drop of blood slid down her neck, oozing slowly from the thin cut the knife had given her. I bit down.

I never heard her scream. It was only after, when I thought back over that night, did I notice. I wondered what would have happened if she did. Would Luke have heard her and come running in? Would his presence be enough to make me stop, to let her go, or would I have just snapped her neck in front of him? Would I regain my head enough to stop once I'd drained every last drop of blood from her body, or would that not have been enough? Would I have gone after Luke as well? I didn't know. Thankfully, I never had to find out.

Hot, sweet blood filled my mouth, filling me with an overpowering need to claim my victim. As Bella sunk to the floor, her strength leaving her as her blood left her body and entered mine, I sunk down with her, letting go of her wrist and pulling her towards me. For some reason, I felt like her death was a personal matter, one I never wanted to share with anyone. My mouth still hadn't left her throat, and I laid her down gently beneath me as I sucked the last of whatever life she'd had from her fragile body. Images filled me. They flashed before my eyes so fast it was a wonder I caught them at all, even with my heightened senses. Random daydreams, images of a young Luke laughing freely as he ran through a bare paddock, a huge blood hound dribbling all over the front mat of a small, run down shack as he settled himself in for the night, the crisscrossing patterns of old battle scars littered down my back as I glanced over my shoulder, meeting my own brown eyes in the mirror behind me. Not mine. _Bella's._

Pain and panic burst through me, making me gasp. I jerked back from Bella's neck just fast enough to catch the glint of silver as she plunged the knife into my side, it's silver point glowing faintly in the darkened room. Pain exploded in my side, and I could just make out Bella's shaking form sobbing above me before everything went black.


End file.
